August 1 ------ The Igorot boxer had a tough challenge after all, as he was up against top seed China's Li Qian, a silver medalist in the 2020 Tokyo Games and bronze finisher in the 2016 Rio Olympics, in the round of 16 of the women's 75kg division at the North Paris Arena in France.
All five judges scored 30-27 in favor of Li, as Bacyadan lost via unanimous decision. Combination shots from the Chinese boxer earned her points from the judges in rounds 1 and 2, while Bacyadan could not answer back and struggled against his opponent's jab. Bacyadan finally landed combination shots against Li in the third round -- his best showing in the match -- and even put the Chinese bet on the ropes, but the latter would eventually recover to conclude the quick three-round bout.
The pride of Kalinga is the second Pinoy boxer to bow out of contention in France after Eumir Marcial succumbed against Uzbekistan's Turabek Khabibullaev in the round of 16 of the men's 80kg division. Hope's not all lost as Carlo Paalam takes on Jude Gallagher of Ireland in round of 16 in men's 57kg division later today at 9:30 p.m. (Manila time).
Source: news.abs-cbn.com
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